Communique


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President’s Message


We’ve had a great year so far! Although the Tuesday and Wednesday night paddles are now done for the season, there are still some great trips on the calendar for this fall. This includes several river trips, the annual Lake Geneva trip, the Illinois Paddling Council’s Pumpkin Paddle and GKC’s Kayakfest. This is still a great time to be out on the water – the air temperatures have cooled but in a lot of areas the water temperatures are still enjoyable for the properly-dressed paddler. In fact, this topic has already come up on the Yahoo Group – take a look and join the discussion.
Fall is also a good time of year to start thinking about next year’s activities, while this past year’s are still fresh in everyone’s memories. There are several area symposiums to choose from, and I’m looking forward to attending one or two myself. But also, we’ll lay out the club’s 2011 calendar in January at the annual meeting (date TBA). We’ve had a good, full calendar for 2010 and I’d like to see at least as much happen in 2011. Several of the club members have been busy volunteering as trip leaders, and I’d like to encourage others to join in as well. Try a Tuesday Night Paddle – which can be anywhere – or assist a trip leader with logistics for another event. This club runs completely on the efforts of volunteers, and it will be as good as we make it.
As I mentioned, the annual meeting is coming up. For new members of the club, this is usually a Friday evening in mid-January, and is the time that we will elect officers for the year and any business matters. I’d like to encourage any member of the club to present ideas they have for discussion. Although we’re always interested in hearing new ideas, this is the best time to discuss them since during warmer weather we’d all rather be out paddling!


Steve Muntz
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Secretaries Desk

The season is winding down. The turnouts this year have been inspiring. New members like Brooke and John leading great new paddles and Doug stepping up to lead this weeks paddle. To all our new members it has been a pleasure to meet you and see some of our paddles through your eyes.

I would like to see Prairie Coast Paddlers become more of a year round club and have more social events. To this end I would like some input from club members. We will definitely have a November paddle that is low tech wet suit friendly. I think a dinner sometime after Christmas and before our annual meeting might be nice. Some other events besides kayaking could be Cross Country Skiing, Poor Man’s Curling, Swim Stroke improvement and just going out to dinner. Have an idea let us know. I miss youse guys in the winter.

Joe Carey




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Upcoming Paddles



KISHWAUKEE
Date: Saturday October 16, 2010 Time: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

Location: Baumann Park in Cherry Valley, Illinois

Hi Everyone,
The annual Fall trip down the beautiful Kishwaukee River will be held October 16th. We'll meet at 9 am at Baumann park in Cherry Valley, Illinois to offload boats and gear. The car shuttle will be at 9:30. Drivers will drive their cars to Atwood Park and I'll bring them back to the put in with the pickup truck. We'll eat lunch at Kishwaukee forest preserve and likely arrive at Atwood Park by 2 or 3 pm. Hope you can join me. Let me know if you can.
Dan Leigh



Lake Geneva ( Linn Pier) October 24


Fall is a great time to paddle Lake Geneva; much of the boat traffic is gone, the leaves are changing and the water is still relatively warm. Meet me at Linn Pier on Sunday, October 24th at 9:30 a.m. This is a popular trip, and those who can make it will be in for a treat. Nice big parking lot, no launch fee and a short carry to the water. There usually is a port-a-potty at the launch but it may or may not be there by this date, so it's probably best to stop along the way. Water is not available at the launch site. We'll plan our route and distance based on wind strength, direction and the group's interest, but generally we'll paddle east into the town of Lake Geneva and past Big Foot State Park before returning.

This is a big, cold lake. I've spent a lot of time at it and have seen it change quickly, just like the Great Lakes. In fact, plan for this trip as you would a day on Lake Michigan. The water will be near it's warmest of the year, but that's still relatively cold. I'll most likely wear a long-sleeved wetsuit or even a drysuit if it's cold or rainy. We'll probably take a break and have a snack along the way, so bring something to eat or share with the group.

Linn Pier is at the north end of Linn Road on the south shore of the lake. It's near the East end of the lake, east of what used to be Majestic Ski Hill and just west of The Narrows. Please let me know if you're coming so I can contact you if there are any last minute changes (but I'll be there even if it rains!). I’m looking forward to seeing everyone on this trip.

Steve Muntz